Could Jennifer Granholm Be the St. Thomas More of Our Times?

The Catholic Times, the privately owned newspaper in the Diocese of Lansing, has a lovely puff piece for Jennifer Granholm, the pro-abortion Catholic Governor of Michigan, in the guise of a news report (Sept. 26). Entitled “Faith Is Never Far Away for Michigan’s Governor,” the article tells about “her desire to actualize Catholic social teaching.” Granholm is quoted as saying, “On critical issues I ask God specifically to help me remember what I’m here for and that God’s will be manifest in my decisions.” Apparently, we can forget about the separation of church and state in Michigan.

The article states that “her faith…. plays a role in how she views policy, pointing to items in the state budget such as restoration of Medicaid funds for caregivers and mental health funding levels.”

However, Granholm is quoted as saying, “There are things that are particularly Catholic that should remain in the faith realm. Personally, I believe life begins at conception, but I don’t believe that, as secular human beings, we will ever get agreement on the question of when life begins. This is not something we can legislate. It is a private matter….” All of a sudden, the separation of church and state is back!

Let’s stop right here. First, opposition to abortion is not a “particularly Catholic” position. Second, who says that all “secular human beings” must be in “agreement” before legislation can be passed? Did every legislator agree on the “restoration of Medicaid funds for caregivers and mental health funding levels”? We seriously doubt it. Third, as a matter of fact, prolife legislation can be legislated. In decades gone by, it was legislated — that is, abortion was outlawed. Fourth, since when did matters of life and death become a “private matter”?

Granholm is also quoted as saying “The church is at its best when it follows the words of Christ and embraces the wretched and those who are not always in line.” Well, in secular society we don’t have “agreement” that the wretched and those out of line should be embraced by government. There are those who say that’s a “private matter,” that it should be handled by private charities.